Certification Program
Click here for information on the EAGALA Certification Program.
Click here for a copy of the EAGALA Certification Brochure with information on the Fundamentals of EAGALA Model Practice Part 1 and Part 2 trainings.
To see a listing of upcoming Part 1 and Part 2 training dates and locations, and to register, click on the Events tab.
EAGALA has a comprehensive training and certification program in the EAGALA Model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine Assisted Learning.
The certification program involves:
- Completing the 3-day Fundamentals of EAGALA Model Practice Part 1 training
- Submitting the Professional Development Portfolio
- Completing the 3-day Fundamentals of EAGALA Model Practice Part 2 training
Completion of these requirements leads to the designation of "EAGALA Certified." Additional training and requirements, including participation in the mentoring program, can be continued to obtain the designation of "EAGALA Advanced Certified."
More information can be found in the links above.
The EAGALA certification requires a renewal every two years which involves continuing education for ongoing learning and development in the model and discipline.
EAGALA also has standards, which include standards for the professionals who can practice as the Mental Health professional side of the team, or the Equine Specialist side of the team (see EAGALA Certification Program info or read more below), and a Code of Ethics. To uphold the integrity and reputation of the EAGALA Certification and name, the Ethics Committee has a protocol to address concerns and complaints.
More information can be reviewed through the links on the right.
The EAGALA training program is open to anyone who wishes to attend - young and not-so-young, students and seasoned professionals, those who have a lifetime with horses or therapy and those who have never been around a horse or therapist. People from all walks of life attend to learn more about this fascinating approach. EAGALA also has Annual Conferences (in March in the U.S. and September/October in Europe) as another way for interested individuals to come and learn more. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Standards of each team member in EAGALA Model practice
The EAGALA Model requires a co-facilitating team that must include a mental health professional and an equine specialist professional in all sessions. The following delineates minimum standards that must be met to practice in one of these roles on the team. The EAGALA training manual, website, and international regions further specify standards that may be specific to various regions. If a practitioner does not meet the standards of one of these roles, the practitioner may serve as an additional member of the team (i.e. 3-person team).
Mental Health Professional –
1) Professional needs to have college-level educational training and degree in a mental health field, such as social work, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or others that include mental health as its scope of practice.
2) Professional must stay within his/her scope of practice and follow region, country, or state laws and regulations regarding mental health practice.
3) Professional needs to be under a governing board/body or member of an association that can hold him/her accountable (or under professional supervision by a supervisor that is held accountable by a governing board/association), i.e. a board that can revoke registration, certification, accreditation, or licensure for ethical or scope of practice violations relating to mental health practice.
Equine Specialist Professional –
1) Professional must have 6,000 hours (equals to approx. 3 years full-time work) experience hands-on work with horses.
2) Professional must have completed at least 100 hours of continuing education in the horse profession. Some of this education needs to include topics covering:
a) Ground work experience
b) Horse psychology knowledge
c) Ability to read horse body language/nonverbal communication
3) 40 hours of the continuing education listed in #2 must have been completed in the last 2 years.